A mechanism is described herein to drive slitter and cutter waste in a direction that allows for a more advantageous use of the waste collection bin's volume. The waste drive mechanism allows for at least one armature that drives the waste in a desired direction. The armature is made from a material that is flexible, with a curved shape to allow a pre-loaded force against a contact surface of the waste collection bin. The pre-loaded flexible armature against a contact surface of the collection bin provides sufficient force to drive the waste it in a desired direction, allowing for a more consistent use of the waste collection bin spatial volume.
|
4. A thermal printer, comprising:
at least one slitter mechanism;
at least one cutter mechanism;
at least one waste collection bin;
at least one waste diverter, wherein at least one waste diverter is constantly and substantially inside at least one waste collection bin;
a cutter drive belt, wherein the cutter drive belt is attached to the at least one cutter mechanism and the at least one waste diverter.
1. A thermal printer, comprising:
at least one slitter mechanism;
at least one cutter mechanism;
at least one waste collection bin;
at least one waste diverter, wherein at least one waste diverter is constantly and substantially inside at least one waste collection bin; and
a slitter drive belt, wherein the slitter drive belt is attached to the at least one slitter mechanism and the at least one waste diverter.
2. The thermal printer of
a drive belt, wherein the drive belt is attached to the at least one waste diverter.
3. The thermal printer of
5. The thermal printer of
a drive belt, wherein the drive belt is attached to the at least one waste diverter.
6. The thermal printer of
|
This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 63/087,587, filed on Oct. 5, 2020. All publications, patents, patent applications, databases and other references cited in this application, all related applications referenced herein, and all references cited therein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if restated here in full and as if each individual publication, patent, patent application, database or other reference were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
While a white margin surrounding printed material is desirable in certain applications, other applications such as photographs are expected to have an image that extends to the edges of the material. To attain this goal, printers such as thermal printers can utilize slitter and cutter mechanisms to remove excess print medium. Slitters cut the print medium in the direction that is perpendicular to the print head, and cutters cut the print medium in the direction that is parallel to the print head. This provides users a wider range of print sizes without requiring numerous pre-cut sizes of print media. Slitters, cutters, and related components are generally known in the prior art, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,312,798 and 7,163,287, which are incorporated by reference.
The waste from slitters and cutters is generally deposited into a waste collection bin to prevent the waste from being ejected with the print medium. The depositing of waste is primarily accomplished by gravity. Slitter waste varies widely depending on the desired print size. For example, 6-inch wide print media (e.g., thermal paper) can be cut using slitters to 4-inch or 1-inch wide depending on the user's preferences. And while cutter waste is generally determined by the printer logic and remains constant regardless of the print size, cutter waste can also vary in certain applications. As such, numerous sizes of waste can be created. Relying on gravity to deposit waste into a waste collection bin often results in inconsistent and inefficient results, especially when the size of waste varies. This can result in problems and inconveniences for the user, such as paper jam conditions or the need to empty waste collection bins more often.
The inventions described herein solve the problems described above and provide apparatuses and methods to efficiently deposit waste in one or more printer waste collection bins. Specifically, waste diverter mechanisms are described to direct waste into an efficient configuration in one or more waste collection bins. This allows for a more advantageous use of waste collection bin volume and prevents issues such as paper jams.
The waste diverter mechanisms can be made from any flexible material such as plastic. The waste diverter mechanisms can be made with a curved shape to allow a pre-loaded force against a contact surface of the collection bin that has a pre-determined volume, such that the pre-loaded flexible armature can provide a sufficient force to drive waste in a desired direction.
In at least one embodiment, one or more waste diverter mechanisms can be used to drive the slitter waste in a direction that is parallel to the print head.
In at least one embodiment, the slitter waste and cutter waste can be deposited into the same separate collection bin with a pre-determined volume.
In at least one embodiment, the slitter waste and cutter waste can be deposited into separate collection bins with pre-determined volumes.
In at least one embodiment, a threshold can be set to alert the user that one or more waste collection bins are full or at a specified capacity. This threshold can be detected using at least one or more predictive, mechanical, electrical, optical, or other means.
In at least one embodiment, one or more waste collection bins can be connected to a mechanism to shred, compact, or otherwise decrease the volume or dispose of the waste. For example, a vacuum or chute can be employed to dispose of the waste. Shredding mechanisms known in the prior art can also be used, such as those described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2011/0293351, which is incorporated by reference.
Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
In the following description, various embodiments will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure may overcome one or more of the aforementioned and other deficiencies experienced in conventional approaches to collecting waste from a printer.
Various other functions and advantages are described and suggested below as may be provided in accordance with the various embodiments.
The image content 120 can be printed such that it uses the entire print medium 100, or only a subset of the print medium 100. If the entire print medium 100 is not used for printing, excess white space will be present on one or more sides of the print medium 100. The print medium 100 can include excess receiver 130 in the “width” direction on one or both sides, which can be cut with one or more slitters in slit direction 160. For example, if the print medium 100 is 6-inch wide and the image content 120 is 4-inch wide, a slitter can cut the excess 2 inches. The print medium 100 can also include overbleed area 140 in the “length” direction on one or both sides, which can be cut with one or more cutters in cut direction 170. For example, if the print medium 100 is 8-inch long and the image content 120 is 6.5-inch long, a cutter can cut the excess 1.5 inches. Slitters, cutters, and related components known in the prior art may be used, as described above. It should be understood that the order of components depicted in
In another embodiment,
It will be apparent to persons of skill in the art that other configurations are possible through this disclosure. For example, one or more active or passive waste diverters can be used for slitter waste, cutter waste, other waste, or a combination thereof. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
Paoletti, Richard S., Repass, Joseph, White, Trevor
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
3312798, | |||
5139205, | Jul 12 1991 | Segregated waste disposal system | |
6408750, | Jun 23 1999 | FUJIFILM Corporation | Printer capable of cutting margins |
6408751, | Apr 26 2000 | SHANGHAI ELECTRIC GROUP CORPORATION | Multi-color, multi-process automatic ink leveler |
7163287, | Jan 21 2004 | Memjet Technology Limited | Combined cutter and slitter module for a printer |
8312798, | May 18 2010 | MIDWEST ATHLETICS AND SPORTS ALLIANCE LLC | Slitter with translating cutting devices |
20050262986, | |||
JP2006088453, | |||
JP564771, | |||
JP565901, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Oct 05 2021 | Kodak Alaris Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Oct 06 2021 | WHITE, TREVOR | KODAK ALARIS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 061323 | /0813 | |
Oct 19 2021 | REPASS, JOSEPH | KODAK ALARIS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 061323 | /0813 | |
Oct 21 2021 | PAOLETTI, RICHARD S | KODAK ALARIS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 061323 | /0813 | |
Sep 06 2022 | KODAK ALARIS INC | THE BOARD OF THE PENSION PROTECTION FUND | IP SECURITY AGREEMENT SUPPLEMENT FISCAL YEAR 2022 | 061504 | /0900 | |
Aug 01 2024 | KODAK ALARIS INC | FGI WORLDWIDE LLC | SECURITY AGREEMENT | 068325 | /0938 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Oct 05 2021 | BIG: Entity status set to Undiscounted (note the period is included in the code). |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Dec 12 2026 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Jun 12 2027 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 12 2027 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Dec 12 2029 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Dec 12 2030 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Jun 12 2031 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 12 2031 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Dec 12 2033 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Dec 12 2034 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Jun 12 2035 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 12 2035 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Dec 12 2037 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |